Mother’s Day in Germany

Where did Mother’s Day come from in Germany? How is it celebrated in German families? What do Germans give their mothers? Read about all this in our article!

The second Sunday of May is approaching, which means that the most touching holiday is just around the corner – Mother’s Day. On this day, it is celebrated in most European countries, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan and China, and in Russia, by the way, it is celebrated on the last Sunday of November. Let’s figure it out together, what kind of holiday it is!

What date is Mother’s Day?

Despite the fact that the date of the holiday changes from year to year, the day of the week remains stable. In the German-speaking space, Mother’s Day always falls on the second Sunday in May. This greatly simplifies life – how often we forget important dates, get confused in numbers and may not have time to congratulate our loved ones on time. By the way, we have collected very useful information in an article about numbers, dates and other numerals in German . But it’s definitely difficult to get confused with Mother’s Day – the second Sunday in May, regardless of the year!

Mother’s Day is celebrated in many European countries. And no matter where and when Mother’s Day is celebrated, its main idea is to emphasize the special importance of women as creators of life.

History of the holiday

Let’s turn to the origins

This holiday takes its origin in the distant past. It is known that in Great Britain from the 17th to the 19th centuries there was a similar holiday – on the second Sunday of Great Lent, the so-called “Mother’s Sunday” was celebrated .

In 1907 in the United States, Anne Jarvis , an American , took the initiative to honor mothers. She turned to government agencies with a proposal to dedicate one day a year to mothers.

In 1910 , the state of Virginia was the first to recognize Mother’s Day as an official holiday. And already on May 8, 1914 the United States Congress passed a resolution declaring Mother’s Day a national holiday. Following the United States, the holiday was introduced by many other countries, including Germany, as well as other European countries.

Holiday in Germany

So, for the first time Mother’s Day in Germany was celebrated in 1923 , it was organized by florists who wanted to honor the heroic deeds of mothers in the First World War. During the Third Reich, since 1933, this holiday was declared as a national holiday, but this was done specifically for the selfish purposes of the National Socialist Party.

At the moment, Mother’s Day is not an official public holiday in Germany, but it is an occasion once again to say warm and tender words to your mother, to give your care and warmth!

Mother’s Day Gifts

Unfortunately, Mother’s Day, like other holidays, has recently been actively used for commercial purposes. Supermarkets and advertising around obsessively remind us, literally forcing us to buy this or that gift set, and this does not depend on which country you are in, this happens everywhere.

But despite all the abundance of gifts that shopping centers offer, many are wondering:

What can I give my mom as a token of gratitude?

It must be admitted that children have much more choice here: let your imagination run wild and the gift is ready! You can make a craft or draw a picture that mom will put in a frame. But an adult who loves needlework can please his mother with a warm knitted scarf , an embroidered pillow or handmade pottery .
 It is interesting to note that just a handmade gift will delight any German, because they are not prone to grand gestures and attention itself is important for them.
An expensive gift can sometimes even embarrass both you and the recipient of the gift.

As for flowers , in Germany ordinary wild flowers are also suitable as a gift, their number can be even or odd, because the Germans do not have such a sign, but there are many others. What to give if creativity does not go well? Answering this question, turn inside yourself, and do not rush to get a credit card in the store. Of course, any mother will be delighted with a certificate for a relaxing massage , décor items, frames with photos of loved ones.

How about a homemade breakfast prepared with love or a delicious cake ? For example, in the UK, the so-called “mother’s pie” is traditionally baked – a special almond pie. In Greece, homemade honey cake is an essential part of the Mother’s Day coffee table. In Germany, too, many children and adults delight their mothers with goodies, and in the pre-holiday bustle, various German forums and sites are full of requests and headlines: Muttertagsmenü, Muttertags-Rezepte, Muttertagskuchen .

And after cozy gatherings with mom, it will be great to make a small trip out of town or even to the city park – remember when was the last time you all got together? Such a carefully created day will bring great joy to any mother!